Question 1

Why is the pronoun me placed before the verb roubar instead of after it?

Accepted Answer

This sentence uses the preposition para before the infinitive. In European Portuguese, prepositions like para, por, sem, and até act as trigger words that pull the clitic pronoun before the verb (a rule called proclisis). Because of this, we must say para me roubar instead of para roubar-me.

Question 2

Why does the sentence use me roubar os dados instead of roubar os meus dados?

Accepted Answer

Portuguese frequently uses an indirect object pronoun (like me) combined with a definite article (like os) to show possession or indicate who is affected by an action. While roubar os meus dados is grammatically fine, using the pronoun to show you were the victim of the theft (me roubar os dados) is extremely common and natural.

Question 3

The English translation treats "data" as a singular concept. Why is dados plural here?

Accepted Answer

In modern English, "data" is usually treated as an uncountable singular noun. However, in Portuguese, os dados is strictly a plural noun. You must always use plural articles and adjectives with it, which is why we see the plural forms os and sensíveis.

Question 4

Is the English loanword software always masculine in Portuguese?

Accepted Answer

Yes! When foreign words are adopted into Portuguese without changing their spelling, they typically default to the masculine gender unless they refer to a specifically female entity or closely match a feminine Portuguese equivalent. That is why it takes the masculine article o.

Ele usou o software para me roubar os dados sensíveis.

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